The sole heir to a ruined world

The Sole Heir to a ruined World, Episode 8

A space filled with damp air and bathed in a purple hue, as if located underground.

In the middle of it stood a massive desk, upon which lay dozens of flasks used for chemical experiments and a large, round cauldron reminiscent of a witch’s lair.

*Bubble, bubble.*

A man was pouring green liquid from a flask into the cauldron.

*Boom!*

“Ah, damn it.”

The man’s face twisted in frustration as he stared at the liquid, now turned black.

He had already attempted this experiment dozens of times in his effort to create a new potion.

Each attempt consumed materials costing at least millions and, at most, tens of millions of won.

Even so, no meaningful results had come out of it.

“Great, now the vice guild leader’s going to chew me out again.”

The man scratched his head roughly.

Kim Jinsu, an alchemist guild member, was working to develop a new potion recipe.

Though he had successfully created several potions in the past, the problem was that each potion he made consumed materials worth billions of won.

Because of this, he had to be cautious of the guild’s watchful eyes when using materials.

The vice guild leader was a highly calculating individual who disliked Kim Jinsu’s habit of freely using expensive materials.

Letting out a deep sigh, Kim Jinsu dragged a chair to the front of the cage and sat down.

“Something’s missing, just one thing… one thing….”

The potion he was trying to make this time was designed to maximize human regenerative abilities and alleviate pain.

Although he had created healing potions before, the problem was that the potions he made didn’t perform significantly better than the skills of current healers.

Thankfully, the Alchemist Guild was the only group currently distributing potions to the Hunter Market.

Otherwise, it was clear that Kim Jinsu’s potions wouldn’t attract much demand.

With his position in the guild already weak,

‘I need to create something, anything, fast.’

Kim Jinsu was desperate to show results.

Hadn’t he been living in the lab for over a month because of that very thought?

Biting his lip, he stood up from his seat, but the sudden sound of the door slamming open made him whip his head around irritably.

“Ji, Jinsu-nim!”

“I told you not to come in while I’m working, you little punk!”

Realizing it was a lower-ranking guild member, he couldn’t hold back his anger and yelled.

“Well, uh, I thought you should see this….”

The guild member’s voice trailed off under Kim Jinsu’s glare.

Kim Jinsu narrowed his eyes and approached him.

“If this is nothing, you’d better prepare to die. Got it?”

“…”

The guild member couldn’t even respond properly and just lowered his head.

Kim Jinsu looked at him with disdain before inspecting what he had brought.

It was a cheap bottle containing a transparent potion.

‘A potion?’

Had the guild ever made a transparent potion before?

“…Odin.”

The name written on the bottle was also unfamiliar.

This meant it wasn’t something produced by the guild.

Kim Jinsu fiddled with the potion bottle and examined its contents.

—

**[‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life.’
Heals all types of external wounds and significantly boosts mental strength.]**

—

“What…?”

Kim Jinsu’s expression went blank as he read the potion’s description.

The system never lied.

That meant this transparent potion had effects comparable to an elixir.

“This isn’t something we made, is it?”

“No.”

“How much is it?”

The guild member hesitated at Kim Jinsu’s question.

“Well….”

Kim Jinsu frowned at the guild member’s hesitation.

“Spit it out.”

“…One million won.”

“…How much?”

“They’re selling it for one million won.”

Hearing the answer, Kim Jinsu pressed his lips together tightly.

One million won.

It wasn’t exactly a small amount.

But considering the current prices of potions on the market, this potion’s price was absurdly low.

A price that would undoubtedly disrupt the potion market.

“Why?”

“…What?”

“Why the hell are they selling it for one million won?!”

Kim Jinsu grabbed the guild member by the collar and shouted.

The guild member’s face contorted as if he were about to cry under Kim Jinsu’s fierce glare.

“Well, even if you ask me….”

“…Damn it.”

Kim Jinsu roughly let go of the guild member’s collar.

“Get out.”

“Yes, yes!”

The guild member scurried out of the lab in a panic.

Kim Jinsu watched his retreating figure before returning to his seat.

“One million won… One million won, seriously.”

His expression didn’t show any sign of calming down as he stared at the potion.

With its performance, it could barely be compared to anything less than the guild’s lower-tier elixirs.

And the price of those lower-tier elixirs had never dropped below billions of won.

‘If something like this keeps being sold for one million won, my position in the guild will become even shakier.’

The ‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’ potion was priced only slightly higher than the potions Kim Jinsu made.

If such a product continued to be distributed,

Hunters would stop buying the Alchemist Guild’s potions altogether.

“Who the hell is behind this?”

Kim Jinsu immediately headed to the Hunter Market.

“Odin, Odin… Found it.”

—

**[‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’ is currently sold out.]**

—

Should he be relieved, at least for now?

No new products had been listed.

It might have been expected.

It didn’t make sense for a potion of this caliber to be mass-produced quickly.

‘If that’s the case, the person who listed it for just one million won must be an idiot.’

Even at ten million won, its performance would still make the price hard to believe.

The person who sold this potion must have been incredibly foolish.

Kim Jinsu clicked his tongue.

‘Wait… if I can figure out the recipe for this potion, maybe even the guild leader will take my side.’

Based on the selling price, the seller didn’t seem very smart.

Perhaps they had simply stumbled upon the recipe by chance.
**Either we buy it, or…**

‘If the creator is truly talented, I’ll just bring them in myself.’

Either way, it would benefit both him and the guild.

It didn’t make sense for the guild to not recruit such a talent.

With that thought, Kim Jinsu immediately sent a message to the seller.

—

「Hello. I am Kim Jinsu from the Alchemist Guild.」

—

He was confident the message would receive a reply.

For anyone who could create potions, the Alchemist Guild was like a dream company.

Now all he had to do was wait for the golden goose to come to him.

—

「All ‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’ has been sold.」
「₩30,000,000 has been deposited.」

—

At the Hunter Market, Lee Hank Yul was looking at the messages displayed before him.

When he saw the deposited amount, he tilted his head in confusion.

‘Why is it only 30 million?’

He had registered the potions at 10 million won per bottle.

Yet, even though all 30 bottles were sold, the total amount deposited was just $30 million.

—

「‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’
Price: ₩1,000,000.」

—

“Huh?”

Looking at the price he had previously set, Lee Hank Yul tilted his head again.

‘Why is there a missing zero?’

Did he make a mistake during the input process?

Realizing he had made such a basic error, Lee Hank Yul let out a dry laugh.

But he didn’t feel particularly regretful or upset.

‘It’s just water anyway.’

For him, the elixir of life was infinite.

As long as the water source of the tree stump didn’t dry up, Lee Hank Yul could keep drawing and selling it.

‘And I’m not exactly greedy for money anyway.’

Lee Hank Yul was paralyzed from the waist down.

Modern medicine couldn’t treat his condition, and neither could potions.

The only type of potion that could heal nerve damage was an elixir.

Even the lowest-tier elixirs cost billions of won.

For someone barely surviving on a convenience store part-time job, buying such a potion wasn’t just difficult—it was outright impossible.

So, he had given up on the idea entirely.

He didn’t even think about trying to buy an elixir; instead, he focused on simply living day by day.

Money? As long as he had enough to get through each day, it was enough.

Perhaps because of that, even after making such a costly mistake, Lee Hank Yul didn’t feel much of a reaction.

‘It’d feel weird to raise the price now, anyway.’

It didn’t sit right with him to increase the price just because the product had sold out.

After all, all he had to do was fill bottles with water.

Just as he was about to list a new product,

—

「You have an unread message.」
「Would you like to check it?」

—

Lee Hank Yul immediately opened the message.

—

**「Hello. This is Kim Jinsu from the Alchemist Guild.」**

—

The subject was an introduction.

Lee Hangyeol slowly read through the contents.

—

**「I would like to make you an offer regarding the ‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’ you have sold. How about joining our guild? The Alchemist Guild is prepared to treat someone of your talent with the utmost respect. We can also provide hard-to-obtain materials on your behalf.

If you’re not interested in joining us, how about selling your recipe? The Alchemist Guild is willing to pay you a fair price for your recipe. Personally, I recommend accepting the second option. Since you seem to be working alone, others may target you for your recipe. By aligning with a strong organization, you can protect both your recipe and your safety.

P.S. The price at which you are selling your potion is currently disrupting the market. For your own safety, we hope you will make a wise decision.」**

—

It was a long message.

Long enough that it felt tiresome to read the whole thing.

Letting out a sigh, he read the contents and then laughed dryly.

‘They might use polite terms like “you,” but this is basically a threat telling me to hand over the recipe.’

They also criticized the selling price.

Sure, it was true that he had accidentally sold the potions at a low price.

“I don’t like this.”

The Alchemist Guild, was it?

They certainly weren’t leaving a good impression on him.

Receiving a message that was practically a veiled threat only made him want to comply with them even less.

‘Threats, huh? I’ll just stay in Asgard.’

Lee Hank Yul shoved the message aside and listed a new product.

—

**「Asgard’s Elixir of Life / Quantity: 30
Price: ₩1,000,000.
Heals all types of external wounds and significantly boosts mental strength.
Seller: Odin.」**

—

Looking at the newly listed product, he crossed his arms and tapped his forearm.

“Maybe I should scoop a bit more next time.”

Muttering softly, he closed the product page and opened the search bar.

“First, let’s buy some seeds.”

A farmer was about to be born.

He decided it was best to prepare seeds in advance.

—

**「Peach Seed / Quantity: 999+
Price: ₩150 each.」

「Grape Seed / Quantity: 999+
Price: ₩100 each.」

「Watermelon Seed…

—

There were countless seeds listed.

Seeing them, a big smile spread across his face.

With the money deposited today,

His shopping spree began without hesitation.

—

**At the same time.**

—

**「‘Asgard’s Elixir of Life’ has been restocked.
Price: ₩1,000,000.」**

—

Kim Jinsu’s face twisted as he looked at the Hunter Market page.

“That crazy bastard…!”

Less than ten minutes had passed since he sent the message.

Seeing that the product had been relisted, Kim Jinsu took it as a direct challenge.

And it was an incredibly humiliating one.